Domestic violence: prevalence and association with gynaecological symptoms

Abstract

Objective To determine the prevalence of domestic violence in a population of women attending a gynaecology outpatient clinic in the United Kingdom and also to investigate whether women who reported domestic violence were more likely to complain of certain gynaecological symptoms. Design Questionnaire survey.Setting A gynaecology outpatient clinic in a North of England Hospital.Sample Nine hundred and twenty consecutive clinic attenders.Methods Anonymous confidential questionnaire given to women.Main outcome measures Disclosure of a past history of domestic violence and gynaecological complaints.Results Nine hundred and twenty consecutive women were included and 825 questionnaires were returned (90% response rate). The prevalence of physical abuse was 21% (171/825). Thirty-four (4%) had experienced violence in the past year. Domestic violence is three times less common in women over 50 years old. Exhusbands (32%) and ex-boyfriends (29%) were the main perpetrators. Forty-eight percent women who had experienced physical violence also had forced sexual activity. Of the 15 presenting symptoms reported by the women, lower abdominal pain, dysmenorrhoea, dyspareunia, smear abnormalities, cancer worries and bowel symptoms were significantly more common complaints in the group who reported domestic violence. The women with domestic violence also had significantly more consultations; however, the duration of their symptoms was not significantly different. Conclusion The prevalence of domestic violence in a cohort of women who attended the gynaecology outpatient clinic in a North of England Hospital was 21%. Women who are subjected to domestic violence tend to have more consultations and are more likely to complain of certain symptoms.

Depression, abuse and its relationship to interstitial cystitis

“…Studies have shown that a history of childhood sexual abuse ranges from 15% to 25% [18][19][20]. Multiple studies have examined the prevalence of physical abuse among women with ranges from 5% to 28% [21][22][23][24][25]. When comparing the above prevalence rates with those found among the IC sample, both depression and a history of sexual abuse were found to be statistically significant (P<0.05) (Fig.…”

“…Scores range from 0 to 63 with higher scores representing more severe symptoms. Scores can be further stratified into categories of depression: mild depression (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19), moderate depression (20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28), and severe depression . A score of less than 14 is considered normal.…”

Prevalence of Domestic Violence against Women in Iran: A Systematic Review

“…The prevalence of physical violence is higher in the last mentioned countries than others. The prevalence of physical violence at workplace in our country and other countries have been reported between 16-36% [36][37][38][39][40][41], it is due to variation in populations study, and also because of different type of study, different cultures, and different social and economic context. In the present study, physical violence has taken first place in most of reviewed studies.…”

How far does screening women for domestic (partner) violence in different health-care settings meet the UK National Screening Committee criteria for a screening programme? Systematic reviews of nine UK National Screening Committee criteria

“…The study, by John and colleagues, 51 reported a 21% lifetime prevalence of physical violence and a 1-year prevalence of 4%, with most abuse being perpetrated by ex-husbands or ex-boyfriends (32% and 29% respectively). Prevalence was highest in women aged 31-40 years.…”